Our guests are both new to Backlisted: the legendary publisher, editor, writer Margaret Busby and the award-winning poet, Raymond Antrobus. They join us to discuss the work of the Caribbean writer, Andrew Salkey, in particular his 1960 Hampstead ‘bedsit novel’, Escape to An Autumn Pavement, and his epic poem Jamaica, which explores the historical foundations of Jamaican society and was first published in 1973 by the pioneering press, Bogle L’Ouverture. As you will discover, Salkey was a consummate live performer - as are both our guests – and the episode make a strong case for his work to be revisted. This episode also features Andy enjoying the graphic novel and memoir, All the Sad Songs by Summer Pierre, while John is blown away by Aftermath, Preti Taneja’s brave and uncompromising account of recovering from a public tragedy.

Books mentioned:

Andrew Salkey - Escape to an Autumn Pavement; Jamaica; Away; Hurricane
Margaret Busby - Daughters of Africa (ed); New Daughters of Africa (ed)
Raymond Antrobus - The Perseverance; All the Names Given; Can Bears Ski?
Summer Pierre - All the Sad Songs
Preti Taneja - Aftermath
Sam Selvon - The Lonely Londoners
George Lamming - The Pleasures of Exile
Colin Macinnes - Absolute Beginners
Roger Mais - Black Lightning
Ursula Le Guin - The Unreal and the Real: Selected Stories
Robin Costs Lewis - Voyage of the Sable Venus
Monique Roffey - The Mermaid of Black Conch

Other links:

Lord Kitchener - ‘My Landlady’
Andrew Salkey reading his poetry and being interviewed by Henry Lyman, 1986
George Lamming interviewed by Huw Weldon, Monitor 1960
Caribbean Voices: Paul Mendez on Andrew Salkey